Suspects Caught on Video Stealing E-Bikes from Downtown Parking Garage
By an edhat reader
On the evening of 1/6/23 the suspects gained access to a room where e-bikes are kept in a residential parking garage in downtown Santa Barbara. They did not take anything that night.
The suspect returned the next morning and stole 1 e-bike at 6:51am. They returned with help on 1/8/23 and stole 5 more bikes throughout that day.
The footage clearly shows the vehicle & plate number (a 2015 silver Kia Forte with a license plate ending in P197) as well as fairly clear shots of their faces. I am assuming they were using the storm as cover, knowing people would not be out and around.
If anyone has any information on the suspects, please SBPD / CSI Trevino at (805) 897-2465 with information as well. Thank you.
18 Comments
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Jan 23, 2023 04:26 PMI keep my ebike battery separate from the bike anytime I store it, it's not hard to remove/replace. That sucker is heavy and hard to pedal without a battery, good theft deterrent.
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Jan 24, 2023 09:34 AMThis is a very good tip.
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Jan 23, 2023 04:43 PMThey look young...someone knows these punks.
Hope the new D.A., will prosecute, if found.
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Jan 23, 2023 06:19 PMWith the auto description and the partial license plate, surely the police could do their jobs and solve this easily? What gives?
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Jan 24, 2023 06:10 AMWhat gives is that what you see on TV isn’t reality. A partial plate cannot be looked up in the state database. The state database is beyond ancient. It takes months to train on it and it is still difficult to understand the information it provides. CA has different priorities in its spending. If they’ve had prior contacts with this vehicle, then they’ve got a decent chance finding it within their records because SBPD’s system is rather new. It can also search a few other agencies like Ventura and Lompoc.
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Jan 26, 2023 11:51 AMEd Hut just posted the partial plate. I have the full plate which I got from the video along with the year making model of the vehicle in the police have it as well.
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Jan 24, 2023 06:01 AMHow do they work exactly? Did they have to enter a credit card to make them run? If not, what keeps them from being stolen every day in every city? Yes, I am stupid about city e-bikes, but I thought they were locked til you activated them with ID and payment or some such thing.
I realize these were in a closet not in docks. Guess that closet had an easy to break door knob lock. That too was a mistake.
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Jan 24, 2023 06:14 AMYeah, I know, I AM old. I said "credit card." I meant any form of online payment!
Late Boomer/Gen X ain't so bad -- we were lucky to grow up free-range and not online! Some of us even got to have sex before AIDS. Good times.
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Jan 24, 2023 06:15 AMI've purposely been able to live without a cell phone, so yeah, I'm from the stone age.
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Jan 25, 2023 09:27 AMuh...people own them too....they aren't all rentals. i own two.
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Jan 24, 2023 07:34 AMThings have been changing very fast since computers, internet, cell phones and all the other devices that became generally available in the 90s and the pace is still quickening. They brought great accessibility and impossible accessibility. <G> Those who had lots of time to hang around with buddies picked it al up quickly. Group learn. Some of them sneer at those who toolbox doesn't include the latest and greatest tech ap, but most of them would be lost to invent or even understand the underpinings. It amuses me: Their time is coming. They'll have jobs, kids, cars, homes and no time to keep up and will become even faster outdated than the generations before them.
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Jan 24, 2023 08:44 AMBack in the days of the Old West, punishment for horse stealing was a hanging. Maybe it is time to bring that back for stealing bikes and e-bikes. That'll learn them.
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Jan 24, 2023 09:10 AMWhich parking garage is this? I don't recognize it. People may want ot know where NOT to park their bikes.
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Jan 24, 2023 09:34 AM401 Chapala Street....
https://www.luxuryrealestate.com/residential/3687224
Great shot in the video @ 1:00, how to mount a bike that's too big...
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Jan 24, 2023 03:30 PMLooks like a girl to me. Her movements and height. Pretty sure. Seat post too high for her. Amateur thieves not to notice that right away.
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Jan 25, 2023 09:27 AMprivate, Chapala and Cota.
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Jan 24, 2023 12:45 PMAnd, of course, they rode on the sidewalk to make their getaway.
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Jan 25, 2023 09:30 AMturn off your battery and lock it. discharge the remaining current. use a NY Cryptonite U lock in the crank/pedal. Use a NY Cryptonite U lock on the frame to a parking hitch/post. The bike will still be there every time. This is what I do. Also, if you're going to be gone for the day/evening. Remove the battery and set it up on a charger. I only use higher end U locks and NY Cryptonite seem to be the best. Two of them just really deters a theif. Once I ran into World Market, didn't lock up my bike and had my belgian Malinois sit next to it. That works too.